Arrangements in flat jacquard knitting machines for avoiding damage in the event of faulty positioning of needles or jacks

ABSTRACT

For avoiding damage when jacks or needles are faultily positioned in a Jacquard knitting machine, pivotable cams are provided in front of the lock parts to, depending on the position of the butt of the faultily positioned jack or needle, either correctly land the butt on the lock part or to pivot and move the butt to its base position. Stop motion switches are arranged to be actuated by the cams when they pivot to move a butt to the base position.

United States Patent Worner [54] ARRANGEMENTS IN FLAT J ACQUARD KNITTING MACHINES FOR AVOIDING DAMAGE IN THE EVENT OF FAULTY POSITIONING OF NEEDLES OR J ACKS [72] Inventor: Walter Worner, Pfullingen, Germany [73] Assignee: H. Stoll 8: Company, Stollweg,

Germany [22] Filed: Feb. 10, 1971 21 App1.No.: 114,300

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 13, 1970 Germany ..P 20 06 550.3

[52] US. Cl ..66/165 [51] Int. Cl. ..D04b 35/10 [58] Field of Search ..66/157, 78.57, 50, 165

[451 Sept. 5, 1972 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 749,672 1/1904 l-limer ..60/50 1,534,972 4/1925 Leviton et a1 ..66/78 3,449,931 6/1969 Kawakami et a1. ..66/ 157 3,1 15,022 12/ 1963 Fregeolle ..66/48 3 ,1 15 ,021 12/1963 Fregeolle ..66/47 3,429,145 2/1969 Schurich ..66/78 Primary Examiner-Ronald Feldbaum Attorney-Larson, Taylor & Hinds ABSTRACT For avoiding damage when jacks or needles are faultily positioned in a Jacquard knitting machine, pivotable cams are provided in front of the lock parts to, depending on the position of the butt of the faultily positioned jack or needle, either correctly land the butt on the lock part or to pivot and move the butt to its base position. Stop motion switches are arranged to be actuated by the cams when they pivot to move a butt to the base position.

9Claims,3DrawingFigures PATENTEU E 5 I973 SHEET 1 OF 3 WVENTOP haw 45M PAIENTEDsEP 51912 SHEET 2 BF 3 J 1 11% Ill 4 111141 11 1' llg ll ARRANGEMENTS IN FLAT JACQUARD KNITTING MACHINES FOR AVOIDING DAMAGE IN THE EVENT OF FAULTY POSITIONING OF NEEDLES OR J ACKS FIELD OF THE INVENTION BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Despite accurate fabrication and adjustment of the individual elements of such a flat knitting machine, it is impossible to achieve the result that the needles and jacks which are to be selected in accordance with the pattern are in every instance moved with absolute accuracy into the operative positions. Thus, it frequently happens, in the event of there being bent needle and jack-ends, faults in the divisions in the Jacquard cards, powerful vibrations or like causes, that individual ones of the operating elements referred to above inadvertently assume intermediate positions between their basic and operating positions. The most frequent effect of this is for the butts on these operating elements to strike a part of the lock and to be knocked down, or even for a lock part to be damaged to a greater or lesser extent. In any event, interference with the proper working of the machine is experienced.

Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to obviate any such interference not only by displacing to safe positions any needle and jack butts which are in faulty positions in which they are liable to cause damage, but also by effecting stoppage of the machine before any damage to individual elements of the machine is inflicted.

Generally according to this invention there are provided, in a flat Jacquard knitting machine, means for avoidance of damage in the event of faulty positioning of needles or jacks. In accordance with the preferred embodiment, each such means comprises a spring loaded pivotable double crank or lever which is arranged in advance of a run-in lock part, in the path of the butt of a faultily positioned needle or jack, and is provided with a cam piece having an inclined face, the said cam piece, depending on the point at which a faultily positioned needle or jack butt meets it, either acting on that butt to correctly land it onto the run-in lock part, or, by virtue of the ability of the double lever to pivot, depressing the butt and so returning the faultily positioned needle or jack to its base position. There preferably also is provided a stop motion switch arranged to be actuated by pivoting motion of the double lever so as to initiate stoppage of the knitting machine. The or each double lever carrying a cam piece may be in the form of a rotatable disc. The extent of pivotal movement of the or each double lever is limited by suitable stops.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the ensuing description of a preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings.

2 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One practical embodiment of devices according to the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein,

FIG. 1 is a front view of the said devices which are diagrammatically shown in relation to a part of a lock and jack butts.

FIG. 2 is a front view corresponding to FIG. I but with upper and lower jack butts shown in exemplary faulty positions.

FIG. 3 is a cross section through a needle bed of a flat knitting machine showing the devices, also in section, arranged over the bed, and showing also a different type of spring for loading the pivotable elements in their normal positions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Mounted in tricks in the needle bed 1, in known manner, are (FIG. 3) knitting needles 2, provided with operating butts 3, and associated jacks 4 and 5 furnished with butts 6 and 7, respectively. The butts 6 and 7 are disposed above the trick walls of the needle bed 1 whereby they project outside the tricks and can thus co-operate with lock parts 8 and 9 (FIGS. 1 and 2) of the knitting lock. The jacks 4 and 5 are advanced by pattern cards into the range of these lock parts 8 and 9. The jack butts 6 and 7 of jacks advanced by cards move from the base positions G into the operative positions A (FIG. 1) from which last mentioned positions they meet and are engaged by the lock parts 8 and 9 and are thereby conducted into the relevant lock tracks. In this way are brought about the required operative movements of the needles 2 associated with the jacks.

There is, however, a possibility that, due to any appropriate source of error, individual jacks may not be fully advanced so that their butts become faultily positioned as shown in FIG. 2. In the illustrated case a butt 6 on a jack 4 (FIG. 3) has only been moved into position F which lies behind operative position A, whereas a butt 7 on a jack 5 (FIG. 3) has been partially moved from the base position G into the faulty position F. Thus, the faultily positioned butts 6 and 7 at F and F' would be struck by the lock parts 8 and 9 during the next stroke of the carriage and damage would be caused. Consequently it is necessary to take these butts out of the faulty positions F, F before the lock parts meet them. To this end, and as shown in each of the figures of the drawings, a casing 11 is fastened to the lock plate 10 so that it'lies a little in front of the lock parts 8 and 9. Rotatably mounted in this casing 11 are two spring loaded discs 12 and 13 which act as double levers or cranks. One lever arm of the disc 12 is furnished with a cam piece 14 while the other arm of the same disc has projecting from it a striker pin 18 to which is anchored a tension spring 16( FIGS. 1 2) by means of which the said pin is pulled to one end of an arcuate slot 21 formed in a cover plate 20 of casing 1 1. Similarly, one lever arm of the disc 13 is equipped with a cam piece 15 while the other arm has projecting from it a striker pin 19 to which is anchored a tension spring 17 by which the pin 19 is pulled to one end of another slot 22 in the cover plate 20. The double levers, i.e. discs, 12 and 13, and with them the cam pieces 14 and 15, are thus held by the springs 16 and 17 in pre-set positions. These positions are such that the inclined faces 14' and of the cam pieces 14 and 15 respectively assume approximately the same angles as the cam angles of the lock parts 8 and 9. If, therefore, a jack butt 6 in position F (FIG. 2) meets the inclined face 14' of cam piece 14, it is advanced by this inclined face and, during the further travel of the lock carriage, meets the lock part 8 which takes over and completes the advancement of the said butt. In the event of a jack butt 7 from position F meeting the cam piece 15, the latter is swung first downwards and then upwards about the prevailing point of rotation of the double lever 13, in the direction of the arrow P shown in FIG. 2 so that the inclined face 15 is directed obliquely downwards in the end position (shown in broken lines in FIG. 2), and the jack concerned is brought back approximately to the base position G, without damage being caused. Naturally, a jack butt 6 could sometimes be alternatively moved to a faulty position in relation to the disc 12 corresponding to the position F in relation to the disc 13; conversely, a jack butt 7 could sometimes be moved to a faulty position in relation to the disc 13 corresponding to the position F in relation to the disc 12, with results similar to those already described.

In addition, micro switches 23 and 24 are arranged above the striker pins 18 and 19, respectively. Each striker pin is adapted, whenever the cam piece on the corresponding disc is contacted and swung down by a faultily positioned butt to act upon a spring contact of the relevant micro switch. Thus, the spring contact 25 of the micro switch 23 is arranged to be acted upon by the striker pin 18 on the disc 12, whereas the spring contact 26 of the micro-switch 24 is similarly arranged to be acted upon by the striker pin 19 on the disc 13. The said micro switches are connected in known fashion with the stop motion of the machine. Thus, should either of the cam pieces 14 or 15 be swung downwards as in the instance which has been described above (in relation to the disc 13) there will be simultaneous stoppage of the machine and this will point to the faulty positioning of the jack which has brought it about.

In a similar way, further safety devices may be incor porated, for example for the needle butts 3 of needles 2. Moreover, it is possible to use appropriate torsion springs 16' and 17' (FIG. 3) instead of the tension springs 16 and 17 (FIGS. 1 and 2).

I claim:

1. In a flat Jacquard knitting machine in which operating elements having operating butts are displaceable by pattern devices from their basic run positions into their appropriate operating positions for operation by lock parts of the machine, the improvement comprising means for avoiding damage in the event of faulty positioning of such an operating butt of an operating element, said means comprising cam means arranged in advance of and movable with a lock part and in the path of a faultily positioned operating butt for either moving said butt toward its operating position sufficiently to correctly land it on to the lock part or for depressing said butt and returning it to its base portion, depending on the location of said faultily positioned operating butt between its operating and i liggziigi ds zi s set forth in claim 1 wherein said cam means comprises a pivotally mounted cam member resiliently biassed to a normal position and having at least one cam surface normally oriented for moving certain encountered operating butts toward their operating positions for correct landing on to the corresponding lock part, and for pivoting when encountering certain other operating butts so as to depress said other operating butts and return them to their base portions, depending on the positions of said encountered operating butts between their basic and operating positions.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cam means comprises a pivotally mounted cam member having a cam surface, means resiliently biassing said cam member to a normal orientation wherein said cam surface will encounter all operating butts within a certain range of faulty positions and cam them in a first direction, and said cam member will encounter all other operating butts in a certain other range of faulty pdsitions and pivot so as to reverse said normal orientation of said cam surface and move said other operating butts in the opposite direction.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said cam means comprises a cam member mounted on a pivotally mounted disc in the manner of a crank arm, said cam member extending from said disc so as to encounter faultily positioned operating butts, said disc being positioned to clear said operating butts.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 further comprising a pin member mounted on the other side of said disc for actuating a stop motion switch in response to pivotal movement of said disc.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said first direction is toward said operating positions, and said opposite direction is toward said base positions.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 further comprising a stop motion switch, and means for actuating said switch in response to pivotal movement of said cam member.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the machine lock includes at least two run-in lock parts, and one of said cam means is located in advance of each run-in lock part.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 further comprising stops defining the normal orientation and the maximum pivoted orientation of said cam member. 

1. In a flat Jacquard knitting machine in which operating elements having operating butts are displaceable by pattern devices from their basic run positions into their appropriate operating positions for operation by lock parts of the machine, the improvement comprising means for avoiding damage in the event of faulty positioning of such an operating butt of an operating element, said means comprising cam means arranged in advance of and movable with a lock part and in the path of a faultily positioned operating butt for either moving said butt toward its operating position sufficiently to correctly land it on to the lock part or for depressing said butt and returning it to its base portion, depending on the location of said faultily positioned operating butt between its operating and basic run positions.
 2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cam means comprises a pivotally mounted cam member resiliently biassed to a normal position and having at least one cam surface normally oriented for moving certain encountered operating butts toward their operating positions for correct landing on to the corresponding lock part, and for pivoting when encountering certain other operating butts so as to depress said other operating butts and return them to their base portions, depending on the positions of said encountered operating butts between their basic and operating positions.
 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cam means comprises a pivotally mounted cam member having a cam surface, means resiliently biassing said cam member to a normal orientation wherein said cam surface will encounter all operating butts within a certain range of faulty positions and cam them in a first direction, and said cam member will encounter all other operating butts in a certain other range of faulty positions and pivot so as to reverse said normal orientation of said cam surface and move said other operating butts in the opposite direction.
 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said cam means comprises a cam member mounted on a pivotally mounTed disc in the manner of a crank arm, said cam member extending from said disc so as to encounter faultily positioned operating butts, said disc being positioned to clear said operating butts.
 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 further comprising a pin member mounted on the other side of said disc for actuating a stop motion switch in response to pivotal movement of said disc.
 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein said first direction is toward said operating positions, and said opposite direction is toward said base positions.
 7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 further comprising a stop motion switch, and means for actuating said switch in response to pivotal movement of said cam member.
 8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the machine lock includes at least two run-in lock parts, and one of said cam means is located in advance of each run-in lock part.
 9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 further comprising stops defining the normal orientation and the maximum pivoted orientation of said cam member. 